Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories
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Samantha Hemans at the 2020 I420 MidAtlantic Championship
I would like to thank you for your support allowing me the opportunity to travel back East to Maryland to sail in the 2020 I420 MidAtlantic Championship in Gunpowder, Maryland. The event was hosted by the Chesapeake Experience and Sail1Design. This regatta was a great experience for me because it was out of my comfort zone. It was very shifty and overall a very hard venue to sail in. But, this experience made me a better sailor.
I left with Noah Stapleton, my crew, and his father on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Maryland Thursday night. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay at our friends' houses near Annapolis, so we didn't have to worry about checking into a hotel.
On Friday, Noah and I both went to our online classes. I finished my classes before him, and used that time to study and finish all my homework for the weekend. Noah and I both thought it would be smart not to sail on Friday because the venue was about 45 minutes away from where we were staying, and we wouldn't have been there in time to go out sailing. But, on Saturday, the first day of the Regatta, we came early so we could go through our boat before going out. I was very happy we did this, so then there was no last-minute issues while sailing.
On the first day of racing, there was a long postponement. The wind kept coming in different directions, and there was not a steady breeze. We ended up with four races that day. It was very interesting as it was our first regatta sailing together. We were both light so that helped with the light wind.
On the second day of racing, there still was not a lot of wind in the morning so we were postponed again. Once the wind filled in, we got off half of the race before we were called back due to lack of wind. Race committee moved the course about a half mile East and set up the course. After we got the first race off on Sunday, there was another postponement because the wind shifted once again. Once the race committee thought it was best to start us off on another race, they did. This race, as well as the last, was very shifty and very light. My tactics were mainly luck because the wind never showed any consistency in direction. We ended up getting a third in the last race.
Once everyone finished, the wind died again and no more races were completed. When we came in, Noah and I took the boat apart really fast and got it ready for trailering knowing that it was to be trailered down to Florida that day.
Overall this Regatta was a very good experience for Noah and me. I learned a lot about very light conditions, and how to make better tactical calls. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity to participate in this event.